The Land Where the Flowers of Evil Bloomed

Dumbledore's speech had such an unparalleled impact that everyone was talking about it.

The students were generally caught between absurdity and reality, unwilling to believe it was true yet eager to learn the details of the Dark Lord's resurrection.

What exactly happened that night?

How did he come back to life?

As a breeding ground for rumors, Hogwarts quickly became the subject of numerous misinformation.

From the initial theories of resurrection through Dark Magic, to possession of a corpse, to the snake-eyed old woman, to the dragon incident...

Soon it became so outrageous that it involved reincarnation, with the You-Know-Who being pregnant for thirteen years before being born.

Rumors kept spreading, and the only two pieces of information the students were certain of were:

Harry Potter was captured by Voldemort;

William Stark rescued Harry from the Dark Lord and nearly killed You-Know-Who.

The impact of these two pieces of news alone is no less than a burst of vibrant green Avada Kedavra.

The next day, all the luggage was loaded onto the train. In an eerie silence, the students prepared to leave the school.

When they return home, they will take Dumbledore's words back to those wizards who are still unaware of the truth.

Durmstrang's students will not be leaving for the time being; Sirius will stay at Hogwarts for a while longer.

This timeframe depends on when he can successfully impersonate Karkaroff.

Why choose Sirius? The main reason was a shortage of manpower.

And since he can't wander around, it's perfect for him.

The students of Beauxbatons will also be leaving today.

"So, you've made up again?" William asked, standing beside the carriage.

"Olympe and I have never been angry," Hagrid said cheerfully.

"That's not what you said before," Hermione said, pouting.

"That's because I was too heartbroken. Men are always at a disadvantage when it comes to emotions." Hagrid gazed at Maxime with longing.

"I'm too fragile, too emotional, too easily hurt..."

"..."

The flowers and plants in the Forbidden Forest, and some of the small animals that have been forcibly petted, certainly don't see it that way.

Furthermore, William described his anger and embarrassment after being dumped in such a refreshing and unconventional way, which was the first time he had ever heard it.

"Oh, Olympe, let me do the dirty work. You can go and rest."

Seeing Maxime pulling the horses on the carriage, Hagrid shouted and rushed over to help.

From her tone, Maxime sounded like a frail little girl, but she could flatten William with a single punch.

Well, now William has another sycophant after Cedric and Harry.

After saying goodbye to Anne, Gabrielle walked over quickly and looked up at William and Hermione:

Will you come to France to see me this summer?

"Probably, we'll be passing through Paris." William patted Gabrielle's head.

Feeling a pang of reluctance, the little girl turned away, wiped her tears, sniffled, and whispered, "Then we're leaving."

Phoebe stepped across the threshold, her silvery hair swaying like waves in the sunlight.

She turned around and said softly with a smile, "See you during summer vacation. After I take Gabrielle home, I'll be back with Madame Maxime soon."

Hermione hugged William's arm, waved goodbye, and said reluctantly, "See you in summer vacation!"

"I'm leaving too, William."

Trene strode briskly toward him with light steps.

Her casually worn, knee-length, cream-colored skirt ended just above her black leather boots. Her incredibly long legs, exposed without any attempt to conceal them, attracted a lot of attention.

During that year, Trene traveled all over the British Isles.

"Are you going back to Venice?" Hermione asked.

"No, I already made plans to go somewhere else... It's a secret for now." She winked playfully.

The two men saw Trene off onto the ship, which then submerged into the Black Lake and quickly disappeared from sight.

After seeing their friend off, William took Hermione and Anne onto the train and found Cedric and his friends in their usual carriage.

"What are you talking about?" William asked after sitting down.

"Talking about Hagrid," Cedric said in a low voice. "He probably won't be at school this summer."

"How did you know?" Ron asked.

"Of course I know. He used to recruit students every summer to help take care of those Fantastic Beasts at the school," Cedric said astutely.

"That's right, I just heard him greeting Madame Maxime and saying 'See you in the summer.'" Qiu said with a knowing but unspoken expression.

"Given the situation of the You-Know-Who's resurrection..." Fred analyzed, "It must be a task Dumbledore gave Hagrid; he's going with Maxime."

William and Hermione exchanged a helpless glance.

Well, everyone always seems to be using their intelligence on Hagrid.

He really is a walking leaker.

Everyone looked at William. If anyone knew, it was him.

"Voldemort is back, and the headmaster is getting Hagrid some work to do this summer," William explained.

"However, it's a secret; I can't tell you, not even to you."

"If I join the Order of the Phoenix, will I find out?" George exclaimed excitedly.

"That's how it is in theory..."

"What, you want to join the Order of the Phoenix?" Qiu asked.

"Yes, why not?" Cedric said thoughtfully.

"You guys can't handle this!" Ginny suddenly said. "Right, William?"

The Order of the Phoenix only accepts adult wizards...

"I turned seventeen last year!" Cedric said confidently.

"We're both adults now," George and Fred said loudly.

"I object! I'm going to tell Mom!" Ginny glared at George and Fred.

"Oh dear, silly little sister's starting to care about her brother." George leaned on Fred's shoulder.

"Yes, I'm so touched." Fred tugged at George's sleeve, pretending to wipe his eyes.

"However..." they both said at the same time, "We'll graduate next year and be free, so you can't control us."

"You...!!"

"William, are you going to do a mission for the Order of the Order of the Phoenix this summer?" Cedric leaned closer.

William nodded slightly and said, "Yes... but before that, Hermione and I need to attend the International Confederation of Wizards."

That's right, the International Confederation of Wizards, which had been delayed for a year, has finally begun.

It was originally scheduled to be held in Venice, Italy, but was postponed due to the White Dragon incident.

And because of the Death Eaters' attack on the Quidditch World Cup, it was postponed for a whole year.

This year's conference will include an additional topic: Voldemort's resurrection.

"Where was the location chosen this time?" Qiu asked curiously.

"Vienna," Hermione replied.

"Austria... I remember..." Cedric hesitated.

"That's right," William said softly, "The first Dark Lord, Grindelwald, was imprisoned in... Nurmengard Prison in Austria."

Hermione touched the Safety Watch; she still had many letters here, from Vinda Rosier.

She and William had promised to help pass it on.

Leaning on William's shoulder, Hermione gazed at the sky and thought to herself:

"Poor woman."

All around was deep darkness and desolation.

There was no sound of leaves rustling against each other, nor the dim, clear light of a summer night.

As the squeaking sound rang out, a rat emerged from a pile of ruins.

"Found it, master, I found the bone." The mouse transformed into Wormtail Peter.

A shadowy figure emerged, and he spoke in a clear, youthful voice, praising:

"Very good, Pettigrew, well done."

The Wormtail seemed to enjoy the praise; it smiled smugly. "I'll revive you."

"Okay," Tom said softly. "I've been waiting for this day for a long time."

The Wormtail propped up two large pots, into which it added snake venom and Unicorn Blood.

After Tom entered the first large pot, a baby appeared as the pot made a gurgling sound.

Tom regained his physical form, but he was still very weak. Instead of asking the Wormtail for help, he struggled to crawl toward another pot.

"Father's bones, servant's flesh, enemy's blood."

The Wormtail skillfully placed the three required ingredients into the crucible.

As time passed, a sixteen-year-old wizard emerged from the cauldron.

The Wormtail stared intently at Tom's body, as if appraising a work of art.

He awkwardly handed over the clothes only after Tom said, "Dress me."

"Master, why not use Harry's blood? The old master said... Harry's blood can make him stronger," Wormtail asked cautiously.

Tom smiled, not answering directly, but simply saying softly, "I don't need it."

It was just a little trap Dumbledore; it might fool others, but it couldn't fool him.

Having obtained Slytherin's notes, Tom gradually gained a deeper understanding of the so-called Prehistoric Mysteries.

He was naturally aware of Dumbledore's sinister intentions.

But we can't tell Peter.

He's been lurking around Voldemort, and he might be exposed any day now.

Knowing too much... is bad!

On the issue of killing Old Tom, he was on the same side as Dumbledore and Stark.

Sometimes, helping each other out is not a bad thing.

Tom now understands that his future self is no match for Dumbledore and Stark.

He is doomed.

"I'm different," Tom thought. "I'll find Death sooner or later."

"Give me Harry's vial of blood, I still need it," he said.

When Voldemort was resurrected, Peter took some blood from Harry, intending to use it to resurrect him.

Tom may not need it, but "someone" does.

He'll need this vial of blood very much!

After Tom took the blood, he looked at the Wormtail.

"Pettigrew, I'm going back to United States. You continue to lurk beside Voldemort."

"But... I want to go with you," the Wormtail said fearfully.

Being a spy is the most dangerous thing.

Before Voldemort was resurrected, we needed to rely on him and wouldn't kill him, but things are different now.

Tom seemed to know what Wormtail was thinking, and he whispered:

"Don't worry, Voldemort won't need you after he's resurrected. But since you helped him, he won't kill you; he'll just ignore you."

You will be safe.

Tom patted Wormtail on the shoulder. "Once Voldemort is dead, I'll personally take you to United States."

Back then, you were my... right-hand man!

Peter was gripped by a frenzy, a kind of care he had never received from Voldemort before.

Tom didn't look at the Wormtail; instead, he was thinking about other things.

During this time, he failed to find the Horcrux and instead kept dying.

He thought about it for a long time and concluded that Dumbledore and Stark probably obtained the Horcrux.

Although it was a bit of a disappointment, Tom didn't actually waste any time.

Because... he had been waiting for that tree to mature.

"It's been so long, it's time to mature."

"After it matures..."

Looking at the dark sky, Tom thought:

"That land of United States will become a land where the flowers of evil bloom!"

A cold wind suddenly blew across the field, and clumps of dry grass swayed rapidly in the wind, as if a great disaster was about to befall them and they were fleeing in panic.

The wind howled mournfully, enveloping the vast, desolate land.

--Merlin 'Merlin's Goblet of Fire, Volume 1, End!